Despite the wind and drizzle, we have been blessed with some football. Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama held the 70th annual Senior Bowl and the first day didn’t disappoint, despite both teams only having helmets and shoulder pads.

My colleague, Jordan Reid, will be providing a South Team recap from the first practice. However, I want to just add my two cents, and it’s that Elgton Jenkins from Mississippi State had the best practice of anyone so far. He looked incredibly versatile at playing center and left guard. Meanwhile, his hand placement was consistently inside, and he did a good job maintaining low pad level throughout every rep. It was a very impressive day from him, and I hope he can build from it.

https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/1087811530408771586

As for the North practice, the first one is also in the books. Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders coaches were running the players through drills. Compared to the South team, the intensity level was way up during the practice for the North team. With that intensity, positive results transpired for plenty of players. Let’s talk about some of the standouts from the North practice on the first day of the 2019 Senior Bowl:

Andy Isabella, WR, UMass 

At weigh-ins, Isabella checked in at 5’8 and 186 pounds. He’s got a 71″ wingspan with his arms measured at 29 6/8″, and an 8 1/2″ hand size. Off to the Patriots he goes, right? All jokes aside, he moved well in space and had some of the best short area quickness of anyone on the field today. His speed and quickness are for real, and he had a strong showing today. Despite not being able to create yards after the catch on the play below, he did catch a designed screen and made a few defenders miss while making his way up the field. There will be plenty of teams that look for a player of his skillset, and he should continue to solidify his draft stock for the 2019 NFL Draft.

here is a route from andy isabella pic.twitter.com/xGwa0s1wX7

— Seth Galina (@pff_seth) January 23, 2019

Renell Wren, DL, Arizona State 

This shouldn’t be surprising, to be honest. Wren flashed his explosiveness on tape all season long, but to see it in person, it’s a different story. He was the fastest defensive lineman off the ball today and was winning in a variety of ways. Whether it was with a swim move or using a bull rush, he was finding ways to win. He checked into the Senior Bowl at 6’4″ and 315 pounds. On top of that, he’s got an 81″ wingspan with an arm length of 33 6/8″ and 9 7/8″ hand size. Plenty of teams are going to love what he flashes with that explosiveness and should easily find himself playing a versatile role along the interior of a defensive line.

Renell Wren is a machine. His first steps on the interior plus his swim can be dynamite pic.twitter.com/OOf6ok0qvG

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 22, 2019

Charles Omenihu, DL, Texas 

Charles Omenihu is incredibly versatile and here’s what he had to say on playing with his hand in the dirt or standing up #SeniorBowl #HookEm pic.twitter.com/jetMOw2FBl

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) January 22, 2019

You better jump on the wagon before it’s too late, my friends! The buzz is real on Charles Omenihu, and I can’t blame anyone for getting excited about him. He told me that his practice for the North squad didn’t meet his standards, but aside from the practice, I thought he carried himself well. He spent some time during media day at the podium and handled every single question with poise, professionalism, and was ready for anything and everything. You can tell he has a chip on his shoulder, and he certainly did a good job on the first day of the Senior Bowl. During practice, he annihilated Michael Deiter from Wisconsin.

Charles Omenihu 👀 pic.twitter.com/2prrwOtCrE

— Ty Wurth (@lostyhighway) January 22, 2019

On the very first play from the team portion of practice, he did a great job blowing up the “sift” block from the tight end on a split-zone running play and got down the LOS to assist on the tackle. It’s the little things that end up being the big things; Charles Omenihu is far from little (6’5″ – 274 lbs., & 36 1/2″ arms), but he was doing big things today and turning a lot of heads.

Jakobi Meyers, WR, North Carolina State 

Going into the season, I put some high expectations on Jakobi Meyers. I had known about him from studying Ryan Finley, Kelvin Harmon, and Jaylen Samuels last year. When Samuels went pro, there had to be someone that replaced him to step up and make plays for the Wolfpack. Meyers did a great job with 92 receptions for over 1,000 yards. On the first day of practice, he stood out with his route running ability. His footwork was smooth in and out of his breaks today, and he was creating plenty of separation by forcing defensive backs to trip over themselves. Meyers looks the part to be a player that can help a quarterback attack the middle of the field and move the sticks. He measured 6’1″ and 196 pounds with 32 1/8″ arms and 9 5/8″ hand size. The first practice was successful for him, and he’ll look to build on his momentum on Wednesday and Thursday.

https://vimeo.com/312857983

For measurables on all of the prospects, check out Christian Page’s database here.

Photo credit: Icon Sportswire / Contributor